At the core of ancient Vedantic thought was that irresistible urge to comprehend the deeper meaning of life. The call has prompted many a seeker to take a leap of faith — from an established career-life to a life of austerities and renunciation — and one such seeker of truth was Sivananda who made the transition from a doctor of medicine to spiritual seeker impelled by the spirit of service.
The simple words: "Serve, love, give, purify, meditate and realise" became the watchwords of Sivananda's Divine Life Society, encapsulating, as it were, the entire corpus of Vedantic tradition. "Meditation will come by itself", he would say. "What is essential is to purify the inner consciousness first, and a prerequisite to that is to first serve". His concept of divine life revolved around a strong ethical base, without which, Sivananda stressed, meditation would be limited to being a superficial exercise.
The emphasis on the development of an ethical culture as an essential stepping stone towards understanding of the inner Self translated itself into committed social service. This, he believed, would ensure a sense of vairagya in the aspirant, awakening him to a different dimension of reality than the one defined by his limited mind, wherein the suffering of the less fortunate would propel him towards his spiritual goals.
Sivananda's commitment to serve manifested itself further in his efforts to disseminate knowledge. He wrote pamphlets, monographs, booklets, letters, books, bhasyas, flowing from his practical and simple approach to life, conveying the great spiritual truths with disarming simplicity. His interpretation of the ancient texts always carried a unique touch, that prod to practice, which alone makes those truths come alive for a sadhaka.
All through his writings, his focus remained the cultivation of a strong ethical character, "...the practice of the moral law and the ethical conduct will pave the way to the maintenance of a sound mind in a sound body...". This base, together with a deep sense of service, Sivananda emphasised, would inevitably lead to the purification of the outer self and set the pace for meditative practice.
The Narayana Bhava towards all is a must to enable the sadhaka to realise the 'Brahmn' state of mind, after overcoming the tricks that the mind-senses vortex plays on one's ego.
Sivananda's teachings were aimed at intense self-effort. His unique DIN (Do It Now) principle exemplified his focused and pragmatic approach to spirituality and life both. "...Never allow things to be undone for one reason or the other", he would say, and this one discipline will carry the seeker forward in his pursuit of truth. Equally unique and simple was his 'doctrine' of Namapathy, the singing of the Lord’s name, which Sivananda resuscitated with a Chaitanya-like fervour. It is the surest cure for all ailments, he would say, exhorting all to understand and express that longing for the Infinite, kept hidden behind layers of the 'rational' mind.
"It is not possible to think of the world, its petty pleasures, material gains, earthly ambitions, fame... in his flaming presence", wrote Swami Chidananda of this Sage of Rishikesh. His stirring life-message of cosmic compassion continues to inspire generations.